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President Thayer’s Board Report for April 14, 2026

by Scott W. Thayer on April 15, 2026

The following is a report to members of the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees
Presented by Cypress College President Scott W. Thayer, Ed.D.
on April 14, 2026

Spring Chancellor Connect Scheduled for April 21 at Cypress College

Please join us for our Spring 2026 Chancellor Connect. The event takes place on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, from 2:30–4 p.m. on the CCCPLX 3rd Floor Patio.

Connect with NOCCCD Chancellor, Dr. Byron D. Clift Breland, and welcome the two newest members of the Chancellor’s Staff team, Vice Chancellor of Educational Services, Dr. Jennifer Vega La Serna, and Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services, Dr. John Parker.

Learn about their journeys to their current roles, their outlooks for the future, and how they’ll serve our district! Then, mix and mingle with them over light bites and refreshments.

Transfer Fair Held with 45 Universities Connecting with Students

The annual spring Transfer Fair took place in Gym 1 on Thursday, April 9, 2026, with 45 universities confirmed to attend. The fair provided a great opportunity for current students to meet with representatives from public and private universities to learn about programs, services, and resources.

Participating universities were: American University of Health & Sciences; Antioch University; Arizona State University (ASU); Biola University; Cal Poly Humboldt; California Baptist University; Chapman University; Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Health Science; CSU Fullerton; CSU Long Beach; CSU Los Angeles; CSU San Bernardino; Grand Canyon University; Hawaii Pacific University; Hope International University; La Sierra University; Loma Linda University; Loyola Marymount University; Mount Saint Mary’s University; National University; Otis College of Art and Design; Pepperdine University; Southern New Hampshire University; UC Irvine; UCLA; UC Merced; UC Santa Cruz; University of La Verne; University of Redlands; Woodbury College; University of San Francisco; USC; Vanguard University; Westcliff University; and Whittier College.

Spring Drill Focuses on Active Shooter Scenario on April 16

Cypress College Campus Safety will conduct a test of the emergency alert system using an Active Shooter scenario on Thursday, April 16, 2026. The drill begins at 10 a.m.

During the drill, participants will use the Run – Hide – Fight method to shelter in place:

  • Run to get away from an attacker and call for help;
  • Hide if you cannot evacuate, locking doors and turning off lights;
  • Fight as a last resort to disrupt or stop an attacker.

During the exercise, three alert messages will be sent over a 15‑minute period:

  • First Alert: Notification of this test, of an active shooter on campus, and instructions to shelter in place using Run – Hide – Fight.
  • Second Alert: Notification that the shooter has been contained, with instructions to continue sheltering in place.
  • Final Alert: Notification that it is safe to resume normal activities.

Cypress College conducts drills to help the campus community be prepared and to evaluate and improve campus response.

Black Student Success Week is April 20-24, features Author Hobbs

The seventh annual Black Student Success Week is scheduled for April 20‑24, 2026. This year’s theme is Revolution: (Re)Defining Black Student Success. The 2026 Black Student Success Week shifts from institutional designations (BSIs) to an overall structural transformation, and calls for a deliberate redefinition of who higher education serves, how it serves, and who controls the narrative of Black student success.

The Cypress College planning committee is excited to host New York Times Bestselling Author Jeff Hobbs on April 23, 2026, from 2:30‑4:30 p.m., in Humanities‑131. The event is sponsored by the DEIAA Committee.

Hobbs is the author of the New York Times best selling biography of Robert Peace “The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League.” In the book, Hobbs chronicles the life of his close friend and Yale roommate.

Peace majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry and worked in a laboratory for research of cancer and infectious diseases.

Additional events include daily webinars, hosted from 12‑1 p.m. and The After Party: A series of daily small group discussion forums held from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

The schedule is:

Yom HaShoah Holocaust Day of Remembrance on April 29

The annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Day of Remembrance takes place on April 29, 2026, from 7‑9 p.m. in the Campus Theater.

Three survivors will share their stories, their gratitude for life, and their hope for a better tomorrow. Their voices remind us why kindness, dignity, and respect for one another matter more than ever.

Among the survivors participating is 99‑year‑old Ruth Hermann.

“Ruth Hermann was born in 1927 in Stuttgart, Germany, the same year as my own mother, into a world that once felt secure and familiar, until it wasn’t,” said Clifford Lester, the Cypress College professor emeritus who founded the Yom HaShoah remembrance. “As a young Jewish girl, she experienced that world unravel under Nazi rule. Friendships severed, protections disappeared, and the familiar became uncertain. When she was sent away on the Kindertransport, it was not truly a choice, but a decision her parents made out of urgency and necessity.”

“What struck me most about Ruth is not only what she endured, but how she chose to live afterward. Despite losing her mother, father, and brother, and spending the war years in a youth hostel in London, she never carried herself with bitterness. Instead, she built her life around family,” Lester said.

Register to be part of this meaningful community gathering.

Language Arts Spring into Wellness Challenge

Language Arts has challenged all students, faculty, and staff to wellness activities. You can flex your creative wellness through poems, stories, songs, speeches, artwork, illustrations, videos, etc. or join the step challenge via the StepUp app.

The challenge runs from April 7‑28, 2026. You can learn more and sign up here.

Library Author Talks

Attend a virtual reading via the Cypress College Library during two upcoming Library Author Talks. First, log on to hear On Writing Action‑Packed and Suspenseful Spycraft with Brad Taylor, former Special Forces and New York Times Bestselling Author of the Pike Logan Series. Then, listen to Lush Lyricism and Intimate Confessions with Miranda Cowley Heller, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Paper Palace and Reese’s Book Club Pick.

The events take place on April 14 at 4 p.m. and April 22 at 11 a.m.

Art Show Includes Upcoming Discussion of Mila Gokhman

The Art Department invites the campus to two exhibitions that transform adversity into creativity, connection, and meaning.

First, Blue Vibrations showcases the work of Mila Gokhman; second, RESILIENCE highlights the work of Sara DeSmet, Alexia Kutzner, Maria Fuster, Eliza Pfister, and Licia Wise, all artists and art therapists.

Join the Art Gallery on Wednesday April 15, 3‑4:30 p.m. for Patrick Benesh‑Liu on the art and design of Mila Gokhman. The event is held in conjunction with the Blue Vibrations exhibit, which continues through April 16.

Spring play ‘Big Love’ Opens April 24 in Studio Theater

The spring play, “Big Love,” opens on April 24, 2026 and will conclude May 3. The staging runs across two weekends in the Studio Theater. Written by Charles Mee, this play tells the story of fifty brides who flee to a manor in Italy to escape their arranged marriages.

Big Love

When: April 24, 25 and May 1, 2 at 7 p.m.; April 26 (ASL‑interpreted show) and May 3 at 4 p.m. Where: Cypress College Studio Theater

Tickets: for sale here

Athletics: Team Shop Opens, Baseball Makes News, B. Pickler Hits 1,600

The Cypress Athletics Team Shop is now officially open. Fans, students, and alumni can now purchase Chargers gear and even customize select items to show off their school pride. Explore the team shop today and place your order to represent Cypress Athletics in style. Shop now.

Cypress College Baseball (21‑10, 8‑4 OEC) continues to make noise both on and off the field, with five Charger alumni currently in Major League Baseball as players or coaches.

Highlighting the program’s academic excellence, recent alum Evan Rolbiecki was named a Scholar‑Athlete of the State at the 3C2A Spring Convention.

Baseball alumni in the MLB currently include Tommy Nance of the Toronto Blue Jays, Dylan Moore of the Philadelphia Phillies, Shaun Larkin of the Arizona Diamond Backs, and Jeff Pickler and Alon Leichman, both of the Colorado Rockies.

Cypress Softball (18‑11, 7‑5 OEC) Head Coach Brad Pickler reached an incredible milestone last week, earning his 1,600th career win as Cypress Softball secured a 2‑1 series victory over Saddleback College.

Read more athletics news.

End-of-the-Year Service Awards, Retirement Recognition on May 4

Grab your lightsabers (or just your lunch appetite) and join us for our End‑of‑the‑Year Service Awards and Retirement Recognition celebration!

The event takes place on Monday, May 4, 2026, from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in the event tent adjacent to the pond.

Enjoy lunch, awards, retirement recognition, and some Star Wars‑inspired fun along the way. Costumes and themed attire are welcome (but not required).

RSVP by April 25.

Second Classified Senate Duck Derby on May 6

The Classified Senate’s second Duck Derby fundraiser takes place on May 6, 2026, from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Those who wish to participate, may purchase ducks for $10 each (cash only). The ducks can be picked up in the Health Center, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

The cutoff date to purchase a duck is April 23. All decorated ducks must be returned to the Health Center by May 5, in advance of the event date.

Spotlight

Cypress College student leaders held a ceremony to officially open the new Campus Community Garden on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. The garden is located between Gym 1 and Gym 2 and is a student‑led initiative through Student Life and Leadership. The following YouTube video provides more information.

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